Typewriter table



, June 18, 1946." w; koc 2,402,412

'TYPEWRITER TABLE Filed May 23, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 18, 1946. c.w. KOCH TYPEWRITER TABLE 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed May 23, 1945 /5 Pa o 7/MQWG K u w n m #m WM mm; o m n 5 3m 2 J2 7 r 7 5 1 M/ I \M \v 0 m Z w Wa 700 Q. Z fizz, Wu 9 22 2 J y 4 a as X0672 Patented June 18, 1946UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- TYPEWRITER TABLE Clarence W. Koch, St.Louis, Mo. Application May 23, 1945, Serial No. 595,341 I Claims. 1

This invention relates to office furniture and in its more specificaspects is directed to a typewriter table or platform which is moreeasily withdrawn from and retracted into .the desk or pedestal.

The object of the invention is to provide an article of furniture havinga retractible platform therein in which the platform is movablevertically from its lower position to the upper position and in whichmeans is provided for adjusting the height of the platform to therequirements of an individual operator.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a piece of furniture incorporating theinvention;

Figure 2 is a view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 3showing the platform travelling mechanism in retracted position insidethe pedestal Figure 3 is a plan View of the operating mechanism takenalong the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure l shows the positions of the parts with the platform in itslowermost position; and

Figure 5 shows the platform in its elevated position.

Office furniture in which typewriters or similar devices are supportedand stored have in the past employed platforms which are swung through aconsiderable arc, usually one hundred and eighty degrees, in moving themfrom their retracted positions to operative positions and considerableeffort is required in overcoming the inertia of rest in the platform byreason of the spring elements supporting the platform in its twopositions. This invention seeks to provide a structure whereby thearcuate movement of the instrument supporting platform is eliminated andin which a substantially direct vertical motion is imposed thereon whenmoving from retracted to operative position.

The above objects and advantages are achieved in the mechanism set forthin the several drawings in which numeral I generally illustrates apedestal or housing with a hinged closure I a for a typewriter or adevice which is to be supported on a movable platform 2 arranged thereinwhich may be retracted into the pedestal l as is customary in the artand which may be vertically moved to the proper height above the floorat.

will. Arranged within pedestal l is a track member 3 to support carriage4 which is slidable along the track member 3. The track member 3 andcarriage 4 are duplicated on the other side of pedestal l. Carriage 4has a plurality of rollers 5 and 6 preferably arranged in pairs on axlessuch as land 8 to enable the carriage to freely move along the trackmembers 3.

Platform 2 has a bracket 9 secured thereto at one end by means ofappropriate screws or other securing means. This bracket and platform 2are suspended from carriage 4'by means of a pair of arms or bar membersI0 and yoke I I. One end of arm H3 is pivoted to an auxiliary bracket I2on bracket 9 and the other end of arm [0 is pivoted at l3 to carriage 4.One arm or link of yoke II is pivoted to bracket 9 at [4 and is pivotedto carriage 4 at l5. The other arm or link of yoke H on the other sideof the platform is joined to carriage 4 (not shown) in a similarmanner,member IS constituting the cross element of the yoke.

A member I! pivoted to carriage 4 has a hook l8 thereon which receives apin I9 secured to each arm of yoke ll. Pin 19 arrests the, downwardmovement of platform 2 to prevent overtravelL of the platformin thedownwarddirection and locks the carriage to the track. 7 A spring 20 isconnected between member "and carriage 4 to hold book [8 and pin [9 inlocked position. Secured to carriage 4 is another U-shaped yoke element2! Whose arm members are rigidly secured to each of the carriages 4.

The U-shaped yoke member 2| serves as an anchor for a plurality ofsprings 22 which act .on platform-2 through arm. II! to assist in theraisingof; the platform to an elevated position.

A rod 23 extending betweenarms ID has springs 22 hooked thereon to givethe assisting motion to platform-2. I

The yoke member 2! and the yoke H in addition to the above functionsassist in keeping the motion of carriage} aligned with its cooperatingcarriage. V

In Figure 4 platform 2 is withdrawn from pedestal i just prior to beingelevated. It Will be noted at this point that spring 22 actssubstantially parallel to arm H) with sufficient difference in angularposition so that the line of action lays at a very slight angle ordistance below the pivot l3 of arm H! so that springs 22 will act tokeep platform 2 in its loweredposition. However, the angle betweensprings 22 and arms I0 is such that only a slight effort will berequired to bring platform 2 to the upper position illustrated in Figure5 wherein the positions of arms I0 and yoke II are shown with springs 22acting to keep the table in its elevated position. It will be noted thatmember H, which is pivoted to carriage 4, in the Figure 4 position isdifferent from that in Figure 5. The purpose of the pivoting action isto lock carriage 4 in position so that it may not travel along track 3when the platform 2 is in elevated position. In order to accomplish thisthere is an extension 24 on member I! engaging slot 25 in track 3 whichis held therein by spring 20. The movement of arm I0 and the link ofyoke H about their pivots l3 and I 5 is arcuate but the resultingmovement of arms 10 and the link of yoke II with respect to platform 2is such that it will be moved substantially directly vertically from theposition shown in Fig- 3 ure 4 to that illustrated in Figure 5. Suitablestops such as 26 are provided to prevent an overtravel of carriage 4 ontrack 3.

Means are provided for adjusting the vertical position of platform 2which comprises a twoarmed yoke 21, one arm of which is pivoted at 28 tobracket 9. The other arm of yoke 21 is provided on bracket 9complemental to the one illustrated. One end of the arm has a pluralityof notches 29 therein which are intended to engage with rod 23.Extending upward through a slot 30 in platform 2 is a lever 3| which issecured to yoke 21 by means of a connecting member 32 of yoke 21 so thatwhen arm 3! is moved to the right against the tension of spring 33 whichis connected between the arms of yoke 21 and a portion of bracket 9, oneof the notches 29 will be brought into engagement with rod 23. The yoke21 may also be pivoted about 28 by means of a lever 34 disposed belowplatform 2, two being provided, one near each edge of platform 2,thereby more readily enabling the operator to release the yoke 21 andits notches 29 from rod 23. When platform 2 is being elevated from theFigure 4 position to the Figure position, notch 29 nearest pivot 28 willfirst engage with rod 23, thereby placing platform 2 in its lowerposition. Should the operator desire a higher or different position, hewill grasp lever 3!, moving it toward the right to disengage one notch29 from rod 23, thereby allowing the second notch 29 to be engagedtherein to place platform 2 at a different elevation. By providing aplurality of notches 29 in yoke 21, a plurality of elevations ofplatform 2 will thereby be made possible.

Having fully described my invention, that which I claim as novel anddesire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A typewriter desk comprising a longitudinally movable carriage means;a platform; means to connect said platform to said carriage means formotion with relation thereto, said means including a first pair of linkspivotally connected to said carriage means and to said platform, and asecond pair of links pivotally connected to said carriage means and tosaid platform and whose points of pivoting are vertically displaced fromthe points of pivoting of said first pair of links, said links and saidpivote points so arranged that said platform is enabled to movesubstantially in a vertical direction from a lower to an upper position;and means to maintain said platform in an elevated position.

2. A typewriter desk comprising a longitudinally movable carriage means;a platform; means to connect said platform to said carriage means formotion with relation thereto, said means including a first pair of linkspivotally connected to said carriage means and to said platform, and asecond pair of links pivotally connected to said carriage means and tosaid platform and whose points of pivoting are vertically displaced fromthe points of pivoting of said first pair of links, said pairs of linksand said pivot points so arranged that said platform is enabled to movesubstantially in a vertical direction from a lower to an upper position;means to maintain said platform in an elevated position; and means toadjust the vertical position of said platform.

3. A typewriter desk comprising a longitudinally movable carriage means;a platform assembly;

means to connect said platform assembly to said carriage means formotion with relation thereto, said means including a first pair of linkswhose ends are pivotally secured to said platform assembly and to saidcarriage means and a second pair of links whose ends are pivoted to saidplatform and to said carriage means and whose pivoted ends arevertically displaced from the pivoted ends of said first pair of links,said pair of links and said pivot points so arranged that said platformis enabled to move substantially in a vertical direction from a lower toan upper position; a rod connected between said first pair of links;means operative on said rod to hold said platform in said upperposition; and a manually operable lever pivoted to said platformassembly, said lever having a plurality of notches therein selectivelyengageable with said rod to adjust the vertical position of saidplatform assembly.

4. A typewriter desk comprising a pair of track members; a carriagelongitudinally movable along each track; a platform assembly; means toconnect said platform assembly to said carriage means for motion withrelation thereto, said means including a first pair of links whose endsare pivotally secured to said platform assembly and to said carriagesand a second pair of links pivoted at their ends to said platform and tosaid carriages and whose pivoted ends are vertically displaced from thpivoted ends of said first set of links, said pair of links and saidpivot points so arranged that said platform is enabled to movesubstantially in a vertical direction from a lower to an upper position;spring anchoring means secured to said carriages; a rod connectedbetween said first pair of links; spring means connected between saidanchoring means and said rod to hold said platform assembly in saidupper position; and a lever pivoted to said platform assembly, saidlever having a plurality of notches therein selectively engageable Withsaid rod to adjust the vertical position of said platform assembly,

5.' A typewriter desk comprising a pair of track members; a carriagelongitudinally movable along each track; a platform assembly; means toconnect said platform assembly to said carriages for motion withrelation thereto, said means including a first pair of links whose endsare pivotally secured to said platform assembly and to said carriagesand a second pair of links pivoted at their ends to said platform and tosaid carriages and whose pivoted ends are vertically displaced from thepivoted ends of said first set of links, said pair of links and saidpivot points so arranged that said platform is enabled to movesubstantially in a vertical direction from a lower to an upper position;spring anchoring means secured to said carriages; a rod connectedbetween said first set of links; spring means connected between saidanchoring means and said rod to hold said platform assembly in saidupper position; a lever pivoted to said platform assembly having aplurality of notches therein selectively engageable with said rod toadjust the vertical position of said platform assembly; and a pluralityof handles secured to said lever' to actuate same, one of said handlesbeing disposed above said platform and the remainder disposed below saidplatform.

CLARENCE W. KOCH.

